Can anyone advise me about online resources where I can learn advanced compositing techniques? I have done a ton of searching, and I have found a handful of ok tutorials on specific techniques. Is the only way to learn advanced compositing to go to college/university in the flesh? If you've traveled this road I would be grateful for the benefit of your experience in finding the way that satisfied your needs.

I can tell you what works for me. Every time I see an image I like, from any medium, I ask myself "why do I like it"? I find this insightful and I am often amazed how often the image follows the"rule of thirds".

It's no use, Slobodan. It's like the difference between the verbs "to lie" and "to lay." No one knows the difference any more.

Russ, you forgot our old friends to, too and two; weather and whether; there and their, not to mention me and I.

It's all gone to the dogs.

Speaking recently of tv and whether it's worth the watching, even the BBC, that bastion of correctness, has allowed poor spelling on those distracting straps that obscure the lower part of the screen along with the more interesting necklines that are sometimes on display within that section of it. I suppopse that if one considers the dismal state of magazine covers today, where the ˇmage that was supposed to be the lure that made you part with your money is practically smothered with copy, the failings of tv should come as no surprise.

Slobodan, The thing you have to remember is that there's no such thing as "more unique" or "somewhat unique." If you can hang on to that fact you're home free.

Rob, Being an old guy, I agree: it just keeps getting worse and worse. I recently finished a novel that was chock full of bad grammar, misspellings, an inability to distinguish between plural and possessive, and hiliariously incorrect words. The novel was crappy but the writing and editing were so bad that I couldn't stop reading. The prize was the lawyer who was looking for an argument that would let him "go for the juggler." It wasn't a misspelling. He used the word in that connection more than once.

Slobodan, The thing you have to remember is that there's no such thing as "more unique" or "somewhat unique." If you can hang on to that fact you're home free.

Rob, Being an old guy, I agree: it just keeps getting worse and worse. I recently finished a novel that was chock full of bad grammar, misspellings, an inability to distinguish between plural and possessive, and hiliariously incorrect words. The novel was crappy but the writing and editing were so bad that I couldn't stop reading. The prize was the lawyer who was looking for an argument that would let him "go for the juggler." It wasn't a misspelling. He used the word in that connection more than once.

Guess the writer doubled as editor... hard times indeed! But perhaps there was a hidden, higher level of creative intent at work: the lawyer character was being drawn to appear somewhat challenged? (Strange how it has become fashionable to convert a statement into a question by the mere addition of a question mark and/or a raised tone of voice. I blame that on tv and CSI Miami. Imagine watching the titles to the latter on my new black/white set!)

In case the OP was asking about compositing rather than composition, the most useful videos I've found are by Julianne Kost and are at http://jkost.com/. You may or may not like her work (I do) but she is technically excellent and a good teacher. There may be videos on compositing at Lynda.com, which is a pay by the month site. I'm not a member so I'm not sure. For really advanced techniques, there are a number of books that are only on compositing. I can't recommend any as my primary interest is in "straight" photography and compositing is only something I play around with.

I don't understand all this talk of semantics and language usage. The OP was asking about compositing. Seemed pretty clear to me. He never mentioned composition, nor was it even referenced (aside from a single third-party response). I think you all did the OP a great disservice by taking his honest question so off topic.

To answer the question, I would suggest giving Lynda.com a try. There are tons of great digital resources available for only about $25 a month. I doubt you'll need more than a month or two, so it's a good value.

Another option is to search Amazon.com for "digital compositing" and find a book that suits your interests. I found 107 results.

I cannot offer any specifics as I don't really do compositing (and rarely do composing very well). All I know is that practice will yield better results, and in quicker time, than attending school.

« Last Edit: April 15, 2011, 11:05:15 PM by ckimmerle »

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"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust